By Zach Collier
Photos By Ivan Martinez
I was particularly struck by the way the crowd sang along throughout the night to the playlist coming through the house speakers at Velour’s Summer 2025 Battle of the Bands Finals. Hearing people belt “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees, “On Top Of The World” by Imagine Dragons, and “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers at the top of their lungs made me weirdly emotional. There are ubiquitous Provo classics that people the world over know by heart, and I think that’s magical. That wasn’t the case 15 years ago when I first came to Provo.
That’s the case now not because of luck, but because of a close community full of talented people who work their butts off to hone their craft and support other people around them. The Provo music scene is special and unique, and last night’s lineup demonstrated that in an amazing way.
I was recently at a new-signee showcase at Atlantic Records in Los Angeles to hear the four new artists they were “the most excited about.” I can confidently say that every single band on the lineup at Velour last night was better than every single act on that lineup in Los Angeles. Everyone who performed last night should be proud.
The Bombshell Flowers
“I’ve been to the pizza place next door, and it’s really good. But the best place to be tonight is AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO THE STAGE.”
The Bombshell Flowers are no strangers to finals, so they knew exactly how to open the night. Going first at any concert means setting the tone, and they came out swinging, welcoming the audience in and playing one of the best opening sets I’ve seen at Velour’s Battle of the Bands. Tight three-part harmonies, a ridiculously locked-in rhythm section, and a set built for natural audience participation. No gimmicks – just great music.
The crowd clapped, sang along to infectious “Na Na” choruses, and went wild during a sudden tempo-shift breakdown led by Brendan “Pretty Much the Phil Collins of Provo” Blackham.
Their only “drawback” is also their greatest strength: they sound like no one but themselves. Think early rock n roll harmonies meets early 2000s pop-punk energy, with songwriting in the spirit of ’90s power-pop revival. It’s like mainlining sunshine.
AURHE
AURHE built on the preceding energy with rollicking guitars, impassioned vocals, and a wicked stage presence. If The Bombshell Flowers filtered their original sound through the energy of pop punk, AURHE feels like a true successor to the genre – iterating on its tones and tropes without feeling like a retread and even blended it with some Soundgarden-esque heaviness during the back half of their set.
I’ve long maintained that Ava, their lead singer, is one of the best vocalists in the scene. She remains undefeated. Last night, she unleashed an absolutely INSANE dirty vocal. Apparently, her screams are on par with her belting capabilities. Song after song, her fierce vocals ripped spontaneous cheers and screams out of the mouths of the helpless audience.
My only note for AURHE is that the energy got out of control at times. While nobody hit any wrong notes and everyone stayed locked-in rhythmically (like seriously, they were SO locked in), I couldn’t help but notice the band get ahead of the beat in places. That being said, it didn’t detract from the experience at all. If anything, I was more impressed by the fact that they work so well as a unit.
Saemore
The finals lineup was really fascinating to me – it truly represented how diverse the Utah music scene is. Each band sat squarely and competently in their own distinct niche. Saemore was the first band of the night that didn’t dial up the volume – instead inviting the audience into the subdued, cozy world of their textural and twangy folk pop.
This genre shift proved helpful when the group ran into some technical difficulties that were completely out of their control. The lead vocal mic went on the fritz, and the house had to step in to fix it – which is something that would’ve completely taken the wind out of the sails of a lesser band. I also think it would’ve been far more problematic if the band was entirely reliant on relentless, uptempo energy.
Saemore recovered gracefully, playing a rhythmically tight, simple, beautiful set – even stepping into their genre’s own version of “high energy” towards the middle by introducing a rippin’ blues-infused western sound. Heavy on tremolo, rim clicks, claps, and toms, it’s a perfect example of that Dusty Deseret sound I love so well. Saemore is a really, really good band.
The Last Wild Buffalo
It gets folkier, ladies and gentlemen.
The back-to-back Saemore/The Last Wild Buffalo programming perfectly demonstrates the difference between Dusty Deseret and true folk music that exist simultaneously in the Utah music scene. Dusty Deseret makes use of traditional rock instruments, rhythms, and tones, but plays and arranges them like folk to form something new – all while employing pop melodies. The Last Wild Buffalo is true folk music: heavy emphasis on kick drum and tom pulses; gruff vocals paired with yips and tight vocal harmonies; and proper folk instrumentation complete with upright bass, banjo, harmonica, acoustic guitars, and fiddle.
Folk music goes hard, guys. We’ve seen it time and time again here at Velour, with the likes of Local Kin and Avintaquin taking the crown in years past because of their ability to execute authentically on a genre that feels both exotic and ancestral. Host John Schultz described this phenomenon while introducing The Last Wild Buffalo as: “White people can’t help but clap.” Hilarious, but true.
The fact that I’m commenting on what The Last Wild Buffalo is versus how they performed is indicative of just how effective they were. I don’t have to comment on it. They’re incredible.
While AURHE’s lead guitarist successfully crowd surfed during a great rock set, The Last Wild Buffalo’s folk was so powerful a random audience member ended up crowd surfing. During stomp n’ holler folk.
That pretty much sums it up, guys.
The Penny Candies
Rounding out the night were The Penny Candies. They were in the unenviable position of following The Last Wild Buffalo, but they held their own by putting on a truly unique and standout performance.
The Penny Candies sit in a really interesting sonic space. I would describe them as Baroque Folk. What does that mean? The Last Wild Buffalo had fiddle. The Penny Candies had violin.
That’s to say their sound is far more classical and orchestral – making prominent use of chimes, woodwinds, unconventional percussion, and modal melodies. Local music fans who adore Little Moon would find a ton to love in The Penny Candies, who put on a gorgeous, academic, and high art set full of really pretty compositions. Their lead singer, Riah, has a really gorgeous indie folk voice reminiscent of Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer.
Unfortunately, I think going last at finals actually put them at a disadvantage, as their music (while well-executed and unique) didn’t quite have the necessary punch to end such a stacked night with a bang.
Results
In the end, there can only be one winner, and The Last Wild Buffalo took home the crown.
This was an incredible show full of incredible bands. Until next time, folks.
Check out “Crystals In My Ear” by The Last Wild Buffalo below and be sure to follow them on Instagram.